That dollar amount reflects a 29.9% increase compared to $185.2 billion five years earlier during 2020.
Year over year, the overall value of Irish exports accelerated by 13% from $212.9 billion in 2023.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2024, Ireland uses the euro which flatlined via a 0.02% gain against the US dollar from 2023 to 2024. The slightly stronger European Union currency made Ireland’s exports paid for in weaker US dollars modestly more expensive for international buyers.
Ireland’s biggest export products by value in 2024 were blood fractions including antisera, medication mixes in dosage, hormones including miscellaneous steroids, heterocyclics and nucleic acids, then scents used for beverage or industrial manufacturing. In aggregate, those major exports accounted for 53.7% of overall exports sales from Ireland. That percentage–and the products themselves–suggests a relatively concentrated range of exported goods.
Ireland places among world-leaders for exporting blood fractions including antisera, while ranking among the top exporters for drugs and medicines in general. The European nation is also a major competitor selling medical, surgical or veterinarian instruments on international markets.
Ireland’s Best International Trade Customers
The latest available country-specific data shows that 86.2% of products exported from Ireland was bought by importers in: United States of America (32.4% of the Irish total), Netherlands (10.3%), United Kingdom (9.3%), Germany (9%), Belgium (7.7%), mainland China (4.2%), Italy (3.1%), France (2.8%), Spain (2.3%), Canada (1.8%), Switzerland (1.65%) and Mexico (1.57%).
From a continental perspective, 51.2% of Ireland exports by value was delivered to fellow European countries while 35.9% was sold to importers in North American. Ireland shipped another 10.8% worth of goods to buyers in Asia.
Smaller percentages went to customers in Africa (0.9%), Latin America (0.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.5%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
Another interesting insight is that 39.5% of Ireland’s export sales went to countries that are also European Union members.
Given Ireland’s population of 5.42 million people, its total $240.6 billion in 2024 exported goods translates to about $44,400 for every resident in the island country. That per-capita amount surpasses the average $39,900 in 2023.
Ireland’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Irish global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Ireland.
- Pharmaceuticals: US$89.7 billion (37.3% of total exports)
- Organic chemicals: $46.3 billion (19.3%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $21.1 billion (8.8%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $14.4 billion (6%)
- Perfumes, cosmetics: $12.2 billion (5.1%)
- Machinery including computers: $11 billion (4.6%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: $6.6 billion (2.7%)
- Other chemical goods: $4.7 billion (2%)
- Dairy, eggs, honey: $4.6 billion (1.9%)
- Meat: $4.2 billion (1.8%)
Ireland’s top 10 export product categories generated 89.3% of the overall value of total Irish shipments.
Electrical machinery and equipment represent the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 37.1% from 2023 to 2024.
In second place for improving export sales was aircraft and spacecraft up by 28.5%.
Ireland’s shipments of pharmaceuticals posted the third-fastest gain in value via its 25.4% year-over-year advance.
The sole decliner among Ireland’s top 10 export categories was miscellaneous chemical goods, pulled down by a -12.2% drop.
Note that the results listed above are at the categorized two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. For a more granular view of exported goods at the four-digit HTS code level, see the section below.
Searchable List of Ireland’s Most Valuable Export Products
The following searchable table displays 100 of the most in-demand goods shipped from Ireland during 2024. Shown beside each product label is its total export value then the percentage increase or decrease since 2023.
| Rank | Export Product | Value (US$) | YOY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blood fractions (including antisera) | $56,615,326,000 | +27.5% |
| 2 | Medication mixes in dosage | $26,197,631,000 | +14.8% |
| 3 | Hormones, miscellaneous steroids | $18,200,745,000 | +46.4% |
| 4 | Heterocyclics, nucleic acids | $16,639,919,000 | -32% |
| 5 | Scents used for beverage or industrial manufacturing | $11,513,195,000 | +13.6% |
| 6 | Electro-medical equipment (e.g. xrays) | $10,725,662,000 | +6.6% |
| 7 | Integrated circuits/microassemblies | $8,225,827,000 | +40.8% |
| 8 | Miscellaneous heterocyclics | $8,128,699,000 | +86.5% |
| 9 | Orthopedic appliances | $7,377,708,000 | +12.1% |
| 10 | Aircraft, spacecraft | $6,066,882,000 | +27.8% |
| 11 | Medication mixes not in dosage | $5,759,516,000 | +92.9% |
| 12 | Computers, optical readers | $4,192,732,000 | +29.4% |
| 13 | Chemical industry products/residuals | $3,273,363,000 | +1.7% |
| 14 | Sulphonamides | $2,394,490,000 | +11.1% |
| 15 | Fresh or chilled beef | $2,286,683,000 | +6.4% |
| 16 | Flour/meal/starch/malt extract food preparations | $1,838,739,000 | +0.6% |
| 17 | Butter | $1,828,705,000 | +26.4% |
| 18 | Alcohol (including spirits, liqueurs) | $1,659,495,000 | +13.2% |
| 19 | Cheese, curd | $1,564,399,000 | +9.4% |
| 20 | Non-radioactive isotopes | $1,461,039,000 | -5.3% |
| 21 | Jewelry | $1,215,336,000 | -6.6% |
| 22 | Optical fiber cables, sheets, plates | $1,204,784,000 | -14.4% |
| 23 | Turbo-jets | $1,196,405,000 | -24.6% |
| 24 | Computer parts, accessories | $1,151,176,000 | -3.3% |
| 25 | Other diagnostic/lab reagents | $1,146,059,000 | -38.5% |
| 26 | Phone devices including smartphones | $1,041,126,000 | +16.4% |
| 27 | Electrical/optical circuit boards, panels | $1,009,509,000 | +42.4% |
| 28 | Unrecorded sound media | $960,196,000 | +22.1% |
| 29 | Sutures, special pharmaceutical goods | $814,511,000 | -10.7% |
| 30 | Miscellaneous meat (preserved/prepared) | $814,433,000 | -3.5% |
| 31 | Aluminum oxide/hydroxide | $787,114,000 | +65.5% |
| 32 | Lower-voltage switches, fuses | $768,534,000 | +255.6% |
| 33 | Fork-lift trucks | $763,930,000 | +12.9% |
| 34 | Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries | $724,698,000 | +12.4% |
| 35 | Frozen beef | $675,052,000 | +0.5% |
| 36 | Physical/chemical analysis tools | $665,234,000 | -7.3% |
| 37 | Concentrated/sweetened milk, cream | $566,667,000 | -33.6% |
| 38 | Aircraft or spacecraft parts | $517,190,000 | +37% |
| 39 | Processed petroleum oils | $493,202,000 | -25.6% |
| 40 | Miscellaneous animal feed preparations | $472,588,000 | -0.1% |
| 41 | Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips | $468,816,000 | -22.3% |
| 42 | Solar power diodes/semi-conductors | $466,152,000 | +98.1% |
| 43 | Casein, caseinates | $465,404,000 | -19.4% |
| 44 | Live horses, mules | $451,763,000 | -14.1% |
| 45 | Swine meat | $441,905,000 | +11% |
| 46 | Chocolate, other cocoa preparations | $432,406,000 | +6.8% |
| 47 | Other food preparations | $419,852,000 | +19.5% |
| 48 | Sheep or goat meat | $410,320,000 | -3.6% |
| 49 | Electric sound/visual signal bells or alarms | $406,382,000 | +18.9% |
| 50 | Other measuring/testing machines | $403,163,000 | -3.2% |
| 51 | Electrical converters/power units | $382,304,000 | +5.4% |
| 52 | Malt beer | $353,942,000 | +2.9% |
| 53 | Refrigerators, freezers | $345,071,000 | -25.7% |
| 54 | Oral/dental hygiene preparations | $336,691,000 | -1.7% |
| 55 | Miscellaneous plastic items | $318,761,000 | -2.4% |
| 56 | Heterocyclics, oxygen | $302,864,000 | +14.1% |
| 57 | Machinery parts | $301,755,000 | +49.1% |
| 58 | Live bovine cattle | $300,246,000 | +65.4% |
| 59 | Machinery for making semi-conductors | $279,812,000 | +42.7% |
| 60 | Whey | $276,067,000 | +1.4% |
| 61 | Insulated wire/cable | $262,811,000 | +10.8% |
| 62 | Mechano-therapy appliances | $258,947,000 | +7.6% |
| 63 | Derricks, cranes | $257,818,000 | +18.2% |
| 64 | Printing machinery | $249,227,000 | +1.2% |
| 65 | Packaged dressings | $247,537,000 | +50.2% |
| 66 | Plastic packing goods, lids, caps | $241,606,000 | -6.7% |
| 67 | Packaged insecticides/fungicides/herbicides | $232,554,000 | +18.6% |
| 68 | Ligneous fiberboard including wood | $230,948,000 | -10% |
| 69 | Not concentrated/unsweetened milk, cream | $224,456,000 | +5.2% |
| 70 | Interchangeable hand/machine tools | $216,199,000 | +1.7% |
| 71 | TV receiver/transmit/digital cameras | $210,922,000 | -3.2% |
| 72 | Automobile parts/accessories | $206,478,000 | -10.8% |
| 73 | Beauty/makeup/skin care preparations | $205,826,000 | +38.3% |
| 74 | Cellulose/chemical derivatives | $205,057,000 | +4.5% |
| 75 | Miscellaneous iron and steel structures | $204,650,000 | +35.6% |
| 76 | Centrifuges, filters and purifiers | $204,490,000 | -24.2% |
| 77 | Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips | $204,213,000 | -5.1% |
| 78 | Red meat offal | $203,879,000 | -6.9% |
| 79 | Miscellaneous machinery | $200,502,000 | -1.2% |
| 80 | Wrist/pocket watches (no precious metal case) | $194,620,000 | +8.2% |
| 81 | Concrete/artificial stone items | $192,370,000 | -11.1% |
| 82 | Miscellaneous fresh/chilled vegetables | $191,712,000 | +74.5% |
| 83 | Hydraulic cements | $191,370,000 | -8.5% |
| 84 | Coal tar oils (high temperature distillation) | $190,058,000 | +75.6% |
| 85 | Non-alcoholic drinks (not water/juice/milk) | $188,872,000 | +12.6% |
| 86 | Liquid pumps and elevators | $185,019,000 | +0.2% |
| 87 | Taps, valves, similar appliances | $183,131,000 | +8.2% |
| 88 | Vulcanized rubber items | $182,538,000 | -1.5% |
| 89 | Paper containers, cellulose wadding | $180,592,000 | +25.8% |
| 90 | Plastic tubes, pipes, fittings | $180,026,000 | +15.8% |
| 91 | Iron or steel scrap | $178,037,000 | -10.5% |
| 92 | Sawn wood | $173,988,000 | +12.6% |
| 93 | Air conditioners | $171,482,000 | +48.2% |
| 94 | Crustaceans (including lobsters) | $167,318,000 | +11.9% |
| 95 | Stoppers, caps, lids | $165,450,000 | -5.2% |
| 96 | Sugar confectionery (no cocoa) | $156,010,000 | +16.8% |
| 97 | Glass bottles, jars, other containers | $153,426,000 | +27.1% |
| 98 | Whole fish (fresh) | $152,862,000 | +37.3% |
| 99 | Poultry meat | $151,192,000 | +36.7% |
| 100 | Miscellaneous engines, motors | $147,842,000 | -8.3% |
These 100 exported goods were worth a subtotal of US$227.1 billion or 94.4% by value for all products exported from Ireland during 2024.
Products Generating the Greatest Trade Surpluses for Ireland
Ireland posted an overall US$98.1 billion trade surplus during 2024, expanding by 57.6% from $62.3 billion in black ink one year earlier in 2023.
The following types of Irish product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Pharmaceuticals: US$73.1 billion (Up by 25.8% since 2023)
- Organic chemicals: $37.8 billion (Up by 65.3%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $15.2 billion (Up by 5.9%)
- Perfumes, cosmetics: $10.2 billion (Up by 13.2%)
- Dairy, eggs, honey: $3.54 billion (Up by 6%)
- Meat: $3.46 billion (Up by 6.3%)
- Other chemical goods: $3.39 billion (Down by -15.8%)
- Inorganic chemicals: $1.6 billion (Down by -35.2%)
- Cereal/milk preparations: $1.3 billion (Up by 1%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $1.1 billion (Reversing a -$2.4 billion deficit)
Ireland has highly positive net exports in the international trade of pharmaceuticals, a relatively recession-proof industry albeit it can be subject to product development cycles. The above cashflows indicate Ireland’s strong competitive advantages under the global pharmaceuticals product category.
Products Causing the Greatest Trade Deficits for Ireland
Below are exports from Ireland that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Ireland’s goods trail Irish importer spending on foreign products.
- Aircraft, spacecraft: -US$13 billion (Down by -17.1% since 2023)
- Mineral fuels including oil: -$8.2 billion (Down by -17.2%)
- Machinery including computers: -$7.3 billion (Up by 24.6%)
- Vehicles: -$6.3 billion (Down by -1%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$2.2 billion (Up by 17.2%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: -$1.5 billion (Up by 14.5%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): -$1.19 billion (Down by -1%)
- Articles of iron or steel: -$1.11 billion (Down by -4.6%)
- Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs, prefab buildings: -$1.11 billion (Up by 12.6%)
- Paper, paper items: -$1 billion (Down by -4.4%)
Ireland has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for aircraft and spacecraft.
These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate Ireland’s competitive disadvantages in the trade of aeronautical products but also represent key opportunities for Ireland to improve its position in the global economy through focused technological innovations.
Major Irish Export Companies
Ireland placed 19 companies on the Forbes Global 2000 rankings. The following selected corporations are examples of world-leading Irish companies.
- Accenture (computer services)
- Actavis (pharmaceuticals)
- Covidien (medical equipment, supplies)
- CRH (construction materials)
- Ingersoll-Rand (conglomerates)
- Kerry Group (food processing)
- Perrigo (pharmaceuticals)
- Seagate Technology (computer storage devices)
- Shire (pharmaceuticals)
- Smurfit Kappa Group (paper products)
According to global trade intelligence firm Zepol, the following companies are examples of entrepreneurial Irish exporters.
- Armstrong Medical (mercury, inorganic bases, calcium)
- Bolger Engineering (iron/non-alloy steel products, electric motor parts, generators)
- Carlow Brewing (malt beer, acyclic polyhydric alcohols)
- Tratech Ireland (machine tool parts and accessories)
In macroeconomic terms, Ireland’s total exported goods represent 34.8% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($691.9 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 34.8% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2024 compares to 29% in 2023. Those percentages suggest a relatively increasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Ireland’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Ireland’s unemployment rate averaged 4.407% for 2024, up from an average jobless rate of 4.317% for 2023 according to International Monetary Fund statistics.
Ireland’s capital city is Dublin.
See also Ireland’s Top 10 Major Export Companies, Ireland’s Top 10 Imports and Ireland’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on March 3, 2025
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on March 3, 2025
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on March 3, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on March 3, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on March 3, 2025
Richest Country Reports, Key Statistics Powering Global Wealth. Accessed on March 3, 2025
The Irish Times, Unemployment jumps to over 20% in wake of new restrictions. Accessed on March 3, 2025
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on March 3, 2025
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Ireland. Accessed on March 3, 2025
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on March 3, 2025
X-rates.com, Exchange Rates: Euro to US Dollar (monthly average 2024). Accessed on March 3, 2025